The e-Tracer is the electric version of the Peraves MonoTracer, the Swiss cabin motorcycle. Twelve electric cars were built under the name MonoTracer-MTE-150, and in 2010 two prototypes known as the X-Tracer won the $2.5 million X-Prize in the United States.
Peraves e-Tracer at a glance
| Maker | Peraves AG, Winterthur, later Peraves CZ in Brno |
|---|---|
| Based on | Peraves MonoTracer |
| Electric cars built | 12 of the 58 MonoTracers |
| Name of the electric car | MonoTracer-MTE-150, the prototypes also called X-Tracer |
| Motor | Brusa or AC Propulsion MTE electric motors |
| X-Prize | won in 2010, $2.5 million |
| Efficiency at the X-Prize | over 200 mpg-e, equivalent to about 1.1 l/100 km |
| Length | 3.65 m |
| Width | 1.25 m |
| Height | 1.52 m |
| Curb weight | 485 kg for the MonoTracer |
| Drive | electric, single-track with retractable support wheels |
The electric MonoTracer is described in a few sentences of the single Wikipedia article on the Ecomobile, in English and German; this page uses both versions. Because the material is one short source, the article is much shorter than usual.
History of the Peraves e-Tracer
An electric MonoTracer
The MonoTracer was the 2006 development of the Peraves Ecomobile, a Swiss cabin motorcycle with BMW four-cylinder power. Alongside the petrol cars Peraves built electric versions: of the 58 MonoTracers, 12 were made with electric drive and called MonoTracer-MTE-150. The MTE vehicles are powered by Brusa or AC Propulsion electric motors.
The X-Prize
In 2010 the two prototypes of the MonoTracer-MTE, also called the X-Tracer, won the X-Prize in the United States and its $2.5 million prize. They took the award with by far the best efficiency of more than 200 mpg-e, an equivalent consumption of about 1.1 litres of petrol per 100 km — helped by the low drag of the cabin body, whose drag coefficient on the MonoTracer is 0.19 with a frontal area of about one square metre.
The electric car after Peraves
Peraves AG filed for bankruptcy in October 2014 and was dissolved; production had partly moved to the Czech Republic from 2009. The vehicle continued under the name Monoracer, and at the end of 2016 the petrol model was to be dropped, with only a battery-electric version offered from 2017. In 2023 only the electric version was still available, together with spare parts for cars built since 1987. A separate electric MonoTracer, the Zerotracer, was purpose-built for the Zero Emissions Race.
Design and features
- Electric drive: Brusa or AC Propulsion MTE motors in place of the BMW motorcycle engine.
- Low drag: the cabin body of the MonoTracer has a drag coefficient of 0.19 and a frontal area of about one square metre, which is what made the X-Prize efficiency possible.
- Support wheels: hinged side wheels, extended in about half a second, keep the single-track car upright at walking pace.
- Two seats in line: driver and passenger sit one behind the other with three-point belts, with a luggage area in the tail.
Peraves e-Tracer versions
- MonoTracer-MTE-150: the electric series car, 12 built within the MonoTracer production of 58.
- X-Tracer: the two MonoTracer-MTE prototypes that won the X-Prize in 2010.
- Zerotracer: an electric MonoTracer purpose-built for the Zero Emissions Race.
- Monoracer electric: the only version still offered from the Czech Republic after the petrol model was dropped.
The electric car is based on the Peraves MonoTracer, which itself developed from the Peraves Ecomobile. More vehicles of the marque are in the Peraves collection.
Video: The E-Tracer
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Ecomobile, English Wikipedia: electric versions, X-Prize, motors
- Ecomobile, German Wikipedia: production numbers, Monoracer, spare parts
